Program Requirements

Students will need to complete 126 credits to graduate from the Urban Forestry Program. The courses will include the following components:

Core Courses (30 courses; 93 credits)

The core competences and skills will be delivered through the shared course requirements to give students the breadth of learning to integrate disciplines from the social, economic, and ecological fields.

Minors (6 courses; 18 credits)

Students can choose between two minors in the Urban Forestry Program at the end of the 2nd year: Urban Green Space Management (UGM) or Landscape and Recreation Planning (LRP). The choice to minor allows for the specialization of practice within urban forestry. This specialization allows students to increase their depth of knowledge in selected domains of urban forestry and can help prepare them for future career directions.

In exceptional cases, students may select courses from both minors, but this requires additional approval and these students will not receive a minor designation.

  • Minor in Urban Green-Space Management (UGM)

This Minor is suitable for students interested in the management and care of urban forests & other green spaces, based on scientific and economic principles with a natural science emphasis. Students learn about hydrology, plant pathology, soils, sustainability, silviculture, and restoration of complex ecological systems. We are currently working to accredit the UGM minor under the Association of BC Forest Professionals (ABCFP), creating an easier pathway for students to become Registered Professional Foresters (RPF’s).

Specialized Course Topics: Biotic and Abiotic Disturbances, Hydrology, Urban Green Infrastructure, Soil Management, Ecological Restoration, Complex Adaptive Systems, and Silviculture

  • Minor in Landscape and Recreation Planning (LRP)

The Landscape and Recreation Planning Minor is for students interested in planning and design urban forests and other green spaces for urban communities across various scales. Students learn principles of design thinking, site analysis, landscape planning, sustainable design. Courses also focus on social sciences, such as managing for aesthetics, environmental perceptions, and community engagement.

Specialized Course Topics: Environmental Perception, Visual Resource Management, Urban Green Infrastructure, Agroforestry, Planting Design, Urban Planning, Urban Environment, Recreation and Natural Resources Conservation

Electives (5 courses; 15 credits)

Students will complete five 3-credit elective courses: two restricted elective courses in the first year (i.e., chosen the courses from a prescribed pool); three free elective courses in Year 2 to 4.